[5] In addition to Eastwood, the film also co-stars Verna Bloom, Mariana Hill, Mitchell Ryan, Jack Ging, and Stefan Gierasch. High Plains Drifter. A distant figure on horseback rides through shimmering, midday heat. Storytelling style is questionable, but make no mistake, musical and visual styles are never less than solid, even when handled in the context of storytelling. He then rides out of town without explanation, following the wounded Morgan. And High Plains Drifter is wall to wall with killing (not to mention some pretty un-P.C. It's left unclear whether the Stranger is the brother of the dead marshall in Lago or the dead marshall's vengeful spirit. [5], The 'ghost story' interpretation of the film favoured by Eastwood is hinted at strongly throughout the movie, suggesting that the Stranger may be the ghost of slain Federal Marshall Jim Duncan, returning for vengeance and justice; the beginning and end of the film sees the Stranger mysteriously emerge, apparition-like, as he rides into and out of Lago through a shimmering heat-haze. And it was during the shows hiatus toward the end of its run that he was offered the lead role in Sergio Leones 1964 spaghetti Western, A Fistful of Dollars. As stridently revisionist as any Western of the Vietnam era, High Plains Drifter is really only a Western on paper. "Clint Back in Saddle in 'Drifter'". Usually when Eastwood is punching a man across a table or delivering a nonchalant verbal beat down we are laughing and enjoying it. Brings back the memory of my Dad bringing home a . In this, then, is also created the possibility of free will. Check box if your review contains spoilers, High Plains Drifter: Maybe You Think You're Fast Enough, Now Playing: High Plains Drifter: Maybe You Think You're Fast Enough. The Stranger is almost shot by Lewis Belding (Ted Hartley), but Mordecai (Billy Curtis) shoots Belding first. Some critics thought Eastwood's directing derivative; Arthur Knight in Saturday Review remarked that Eastwood had "absorbed the approaches of Siegel and Leone and fused them with his own paranoid vision of society". He accepts only after he is given free rein to do as he pleases around the town, an offer which he does not waste at all, forcibly taking any woman he wants and throwing families out of their hotel rooms so he can have the entire building to himself. Just confirm how you got your ticket. It's the story of a mysterious, crack-shot out-of-towner paid handsomely to protect an idyllic California . The small supernatural elements made it more interesting in my opinion as it added a more unique feel as I was watching this. But being his second directorial movie, and his first Western, he worked quite safe, just doing what he learnt working as an actor in previous Westerns, especially "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964). It was a hit. The Stranger lures one of the Carlin brothers outside and whips him to death, then kills the remaining outlaws one at a time. 17 June 2019. When the drifter rides into Lago, he is met with incredulity and disapproval by the townspeople. It turned out that Eastwood was a natural born director, albeit a different breed of one. I'm 98% sure the idea for this is drawn from that movie. That isn't the American people who settled this country. These people want protection, but theres no salvation for them. During the flashback the Marshall whos getting whipped damns the townsfolk to hell whilst he dies, and my personal take on the film is that the Stranger is a kind of curse or angel of death sent to punish the town. Ernest Tidyman's script has some raw violence for the kinks, some dumb humor for audience relief, and lots of arch characterizations befitting the serio-comic-strip nature of the plot. "[16], Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "a stylized, allegorical western of much chillingly paranoid atmosphere and considerable sardonic humor that confirms Eastwood's directorial flair. I was mostly satisfied by the story as the more it went on the more I got interested. Theyre already in hell for their sins (at least everyone other than Verna Bloom, who was the only person who tried to help Duncan). McFarland & Co . The film stars Eastwood as a mysterious stranger who metes out justice in a corrupt frontier mining town. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "High Plains Drifter". Amid shoot-outs and existentialism, a stranger is hired to protect a town from outlaws -- but his recipe for defense could be a deal with the devil. Metacritic Reviews. It is one of those examples, I Lombardi, Verdis fourth opera, is set during the First Crusade. High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Whipped to Death, High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Whipping the Outlaw, High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Blowing Up The Hotel, High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - The Sheriff and the Mayor, High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Shave and a Shootout, High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Shooting Up Hell, High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Killing the Outlaws, High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Target Practice, High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - The Stranger Rides Away. Three gunmen hired to protect the town taunt and threaten him; he kills all three with little effort. Edit, A stranger (Clint Eastwood) rides his horse out of the hot undulating waves of the desert and into the mining town of Lago and asks for a beer, a bath, a shave, and a haircut. Jefferson, N.C . As they unknowingly beat a dummy in the bed, the Stranger tosses a stick of dynamite into the room, destroying most of the hotel, then shoots two of his attackers dead, as Morgan flees wounded. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from [email protected]. A gun-fighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago and is hired to bring the townsfolk together in an attempt to hold off three outlaws who are on their way. The Stranger's instructions that all buildings should be painted red and the town's name of Lago be replaced by a sign labelled 'HELL' echoes Duncan's dying words that the residents would suffer in Hell for failing to prevent his death. Universal wanted Eastwood to shoot the feature on its back lot, but Eastwood opted instead to film on location. High Plains Drifter Is Clint Eastwood's Mysterious, Overlooked Masterpiece Before he was known as a conservative filmmaker (both stylistically and politically), he made this strange and. Universal released the R-rated High Plains Drifter in the United States in April 1973, and the film eventually grossed $15.7 million domestically,[2] ultimately making it the sixth-highest grossing Western in North America in the decade of the 1970s and the 20th highest-grossing film released in 1973. Coming Soon. and the With the possible exception of John Wayne, no actor was more synonymous with the movie Western during the second half of the 20th Century than Clint Eastwood. "[20] John Wayne criticized the film's iconoclastic approach; in a letter to Eastwood, he wrote, "That isn't what the West was all about. Clint asked John Wayne if he wanted to be in a Western together. Clint Eastwood's America . Meanwhile, he picks up a brush to drip the letters H-E-L-L in crimson on a signpost at Lagos border. The scene disturbs more than the death by gun fire, only momentarily earlier, of three men by the same stranger who rapes the woman. Clint Eastwood became a star starring in Westerns, so it wasn't new to see him in this role. "You know," Mordecai says, "I never did know your name." Cinema Detours . High Plains Drifter is a morality tale carved out of the harsh Western desert and directed with a panache that synthesized the styles of Sergio Leone and Don Siegel, two directors who had worked with Eastwood frequently. As the Stranger rides off into the desert, a perplexed Mordecai stands beside the tombstone he just engraved "Marshal Jim Duncan, Rest in Peace". Rarely are humble westerns permitted to drift around on such a highfalutin plane. The Stranger replies, "Yes, you do." It is the first Western film that he both directed and starred in. User Reviews [25], American musician Kirk Hammett included a song named High Plains Drifter, which takes its title from the film, on his 2022 extended play, Portals. [3] The film was influenced by the work of Eastwood's two major collaborators, film directors Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. Because maybe you didn't go back for more? While setting the ambush for the three outlaws, he tells a group of Mexicans to prepare some long tables for a "picnic". Bach: Cantata 182, at Palm Sunday Hope Returns to Rejoice, J.S. Crucially, he's your grandfather's idea of Christ, one who 0786484217 . The next day, Lago officials offer the Stranger "anything you want" to protect the town from Bridges and the Carlins, who will soon be released from prison. Edit, One gravestone shown in the intro is dated to 1882, so this movie most likely takes place in the mid-1880s. To keep the townspeople busy, he orders every building in town painted blood red. "[18], The film had its share of detractors. You know, the rhythm of this title really makes me think of "Catch Scratch Fever", and you know, I'll run with it, because it's better than getting the Beastie Boys song stuck in my head. New York, NY . [13], Vincent Canby of The New York Times called the film "part ghost story, part revenge Western, more than a little silly, and often quite entertaining in a way that may make you wonder if you lost your good sense. A Stranger (Clint Eastwood) rides into in the dusty mining town of Lago, where the townspeople are living in the shadow of a dark secret. The film was critically acclaimed at the time of its initial release and remains popular. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. When the attractive, blond townswoman Callie Travers flirtatiously insults him, he rapes her in the livery stable. In the final scene, the Stranger rides his horse out of town into the hot undulating waves of the desert and disappears. Chris Nashawaty is a writer, editor, critic, and author of books about Roger Corman & Caddyshack. "[19] John Wayne criticized the film's iconoclastic approach; in a letter to Eastwood, he wrote, "That isn't what the West was all about. Why Were Blade Runner and The Thing '80s Bombs? In some details they will seem inappropriate at the moment but it is not wasted. 6275 . http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/HighPlainsDrifter. Because its a far more interesting movie the further you get away from its Western-ness and the more it steps into the realm of spectral, mystical Tales from the Crypt pulp. Its also a film that deserves to be seen by anyone who has a sweet tooth for the genre or thinks they have a bead on Eastwood as a filmmaker. After the film came out and wound up being a big box-office hit, Eastwood wrote a fannish letter to John Wayne, suggesting that they make a movie together. The film was well received by many critics, and rates 93% positive on Rotten Tomatoes based on 27 reviews. A nameless stranger rides into a small town and immediately kills three gunmen. All we know is it is very difficult to side with him as a protagonist and as such we are left with an uneasy feel throughout the film from which we can only be unburdened after knowing just what he wants and why hes doing it but we never do, which is probably why I was left with such an uncomfortable feeling after the film was finished. .css-gk9meg{display:block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:0.25rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-gk9meg:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.15;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}The Best, Craziest, Weirdest Moments From Cannes, Celebrities Who've Shaved Their Heads for Roles, 'Avatar: The Way of Water' Is Finally Streaming, 'Guardians of the Galaxy 3' Sticks the Landing, Damon Lindelof Was 'Asked to Leave' Star Wars, Christopher Nolan Is Hyping Up 'Oppenheimer', Pedro Pascal, Ethan Hawke Are a Great Cowboy Match, Seeing Hugh Grant's Oompa Loompa Will Break Me, 'The Flash' Just Debuted Another Massive Trailer, 13 Great Movies That Were Booed at Cannes. Marvel Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, Jurassic Park Movies Ranked By Tomatometer, RT25: Celebrating 25 Years of Rotten Tomatoes, Fatal Attraction Series Stars Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan on the Sexy, Unsettling Psychological Thriller, Prime Video Acquires J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves Batman: Caped Crusader and 2 More Animated Projects, Clint Eastwood's sophomore outing as director sees him back in the saddle as a mysterious stranger, and the result is one of his most memorable Westerns. In an interview, Eastwood said that earlier versions of the script made the Stranger the dead marshal's brother. Wayne wrote back saying this movie is terrible because of the violence and it's revisionist portrayal of westerns. A Stranger (Clint Eastwood) rides into in the dusty mining town of Lago, where the townspeople are living in the shadow of a dark secret. Fordham University Press . "[10] The graveyard set featured in the film's final scene included tombstones inscribed "Sergio Leone" and "Don Siegel" as a humorous tribute to the two influential directors. Movies. That isn't the American people who settled this country. Mordecai says, "I never did know your name," to which the Stranger replies, "Yes, you do." The Stranger lures one of the Carlin brothers outside and whips him to death, then kills the remaining outlaws one by one. Coming Soon, Regal I myself prefer to think that the angel carries the ghost, or, perhaps better, the soul of the man who was, with or before him, as that seems a more satisfactory, and more universal, allegory. High Plains Drifter Is Clint Eastwood's Mysterious, Overlooked Masterpiece. He keeps things lean and simple. "[14], Arthur D. Murphy of Variety called it "a nervously humorous, self-conscious near satire on the prototype Clint Eastwood formula of the avenging mysterious stranger. Stacey Bridges (Geoffrey Lewis), Bill Borders (Scott Walker), and Cole Carlin (Anthony James), who have been released from jail after they brutally whipped to death the town's local lawman Marshal Jim Duncan (Buddy Van Horn) who is in his grave with an unmarked gravestone, set out to return to "Lago" to get their vengeance. He found out the mine was on government land and was going to report it, which would result in it being closed. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. High Plains Drifter is a 1973 American Western film directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Ernest Tidyman, and produced by Robert Daley for The Malpaso Company and Universal Pictures. In an interview, Eastwood said that earlier versions of the script made the Stranger the dead marshal's brother. This is the film of a magnificent intellect. You see, Lago is a town with a past. Beastie BoysPaul's Boutique 2009 Capitol Records, LLC and Beastie BoysReleased on: 1989-07. "[13] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 3 stars out of 4 and wrote, "What does work very well indeed is Eastwood's presence, personal style, and direction. The movie borrows heavily from Leones Once Upon a Time in the West and High Noon for its plot, as clearly the mysterious stranger has a beef with some of the dwellers in the town. He favored a less explicit and more supernatural interpretation, and excised the reference. A gunfighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago and is hired to bring the townsfolk together in an attempt to hold off three outlaws who are on their way. The film often intercuts with a blurry flashback of a Marshall being whipped by three gunmen with close to the entire town standing by watching, doing nothing to help the poor fellow. It is gradually revealed that the townspeople hired these 'outlaws' to murder Duncan when he discovered the local gold mine was illegally on government land and would have to be closed, destroying the town's livelihood. the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. He later orders the hotel owners, Lewis and Sarah Belding, and all the other guests to vacate the premises, leaving him its sole occupant. The Clint Eastwood 3- Movie Western Collection on Blu-ray is the perfect Father's Day gift that features the Academy Award winning actor in 3 iconic roles. But the three worst the town ever saw, which they were hired to check, are being released from jail. "@shane130 @JFowlerESPN I disagree he would be good in 1975. "[10] The graveyard set featured in the film's final scene included tombstones inscribed "Sergio Leone" and "Don Siegel" as a humorous tribute to the two influential directors. There's always retribution for your deeds. Read our extensive list of rules for more information on other types of posts like fan-art and self-promotion, or message the moderators if you have any questions. We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. Holes in the plot were filled in with black humor and allegory, influenced by Sergio Leone. The sleepy Wild West mining town of Lago, named after a local lake, is shaken up when a tough stranger (Clint Eastwood) stands up to the local gun champions and kills them in an uneven duel. [8] Over 50 technicians and construction workers built an entire town14 houses, a church, and a two-story hotelin 18 days, using 150,000 feet of lumber. The camera then reveals the name on the grave marker to read "Marshall Jim Duncan, Rest In Peace." "I never did know your name" "Yes you do", as the camera pans to show the previous marshal's gravestone and name. Marshal, being whipped to death by outlaws Stacey Bridges and brothers Dan and Cole Carlin, as Lago's citizens watch in silence. The premise of the movie is basically this; (spoiler) Clint Eastwood plays a Marshall named Jim Duncan. This would explain why nobody in the town recognized him, but he knew how exactly the Marshal was killed and he was able to kill the three men in the same way. Geoffrey Lewis plays one of the badguys and the idea to paint a town red is strange but it worked well, the whipping scenes are great and the shootings and violence Clint Eastwood's acting is faultless and perfect and the story never gets boring. Starring: Clint Eastwood,Verna Bloom,Marianna Hill. Dee Barton wrote the film score. Clint Eastwood's sophomore outing as director sees him back in the saddle as a mysterious stranger, and the result is one of his most memorable Westerns. Clint: The Life and Legend . That night, in his hotel room, the Stranger dreams of Jim Duncan, a federal marshal, being whipped to death by outlaws Stacey Bridges and brothers Dan and Cole Carlin, as Lago's citizens watch in silence. Read critic reviews. That, however, is small comfort as this cold, gory and overthought movie unfolds. Before the film is finished fire is raging throughout the town and everyone who was involved in the Marshall whipping gets some kind of upcommance for their actions. One of the three gunmen shares his fate later in the film. Tidyman's screenplay was inspired by the real-life murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens in 1964, which eyewitnesses reportedly stood by and watched. Cracks in the Pedestal Ideology and Gender in Hollywood . In Biblical accounts, Mordecai sat in the kings gate to signify his intimacy to the ruler, or, in the film, the stranger. Callie and two men watching from inside their houses look shaken by Duncan's fate, while most other people seem unaffected or grimly pleased. And two decades before Eastwood would win Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for his return to the genre with the twilight apologia Unforgiven, he still hadnt begun to grapple with the regrets and ramifications of shoot-first-ask-questions-later Old West violence. "It's just an allegory," Eastwood said, "a speculation on what happens when they go ahead and kill the sheriff, and somebody comes back and calls the town's conscience to bear. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Dennis Harvey 48 Hills. High Plains Drifter is a 1973 Western directed by (and starring) Clint Eastwood, with a screenplay by Ernest Tidyman (The French Connection, Shaft). After a federal marshal discovered that Lago's mine was on government land (which would have forced the closing of the mine), the town hired three gunfighters to murder him. Under a joint production between Malpaso and Universal, the original screenplay was written by Ernest Tidyman, who had won a Best Screenplay Oscar for The French Connection.[5]. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story: Season 1, Link to Marvel Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, Link to RT25: Celebrating 25 Years of Rotten Tomatoes, Link to Prime Video Acquires J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves. Apr 19, 1973 As a freshly minted red-hot commodity both at home and abroad, Eastwood quickly parlayed his new-found bankability into a handful of macho and muscular studio pictures like the fish-out-of-water cop thriller Coogans Bluff and the bloated WWII action-adventure Where Eagles Dare. The allegory cant get blunter then him literally put up a signpost that says hell and have the town paint all the buildings red. The outlaws arrive and easily overcome the poor resistance of the townspeople; the defenders are all killed, while the survivors are rounded up in the saloon. Belding, aiming a shotgun at the Stranger's back, is shot dead by Mordecai. Callie and several men including Morgan Allen conspire to kill the Stranger. Though his laconic sense of humor often drags out the pacing of the movie, Eastwood uses his camera with intelligence and flair. Please enter your birth date to watch this video: You are not allowed to view this material at this time. Anyway Clint Eastwood stars in and directs HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER which is a mystery western and quite dark, bloody and cool. You said we don't have a receiver another team would take. As night falls and the town burns, it looks like the outlaws are getting the better hand. Elements include a darker, more cynical tone, with focus on the lawlessness of the time period, favouring realism over romanticism. attempting to shoot the Stranger in the back after he's killed all the gunmen is remarkably similar to the remaining Rojo brother trying to shoot The Man With No Name in the back after he's killed everybody else in. Revelation 21:8 reads: But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.. Privacy Policy. [11], "It's just an allegory," Eastwood said, "a speculation on what happens when they go ahead and kill the sheriff, and somebody comes back and calls the town's conscience to bear. High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - Lago is Hell, High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - I'm the Sheriff and the Mayor, High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - A Whipping Revenge, High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - He Shot My Ear Off, High Plains Drifter: Official Clip - A Shave and a Shootout. Well, the big difference with this particular "man with no name" character is that no one dubs Eastwood in Italian, and there is way more weird stuff surrounding him then there ever was in a Sergio Leone western. The outlaws arrive and easily overcome the novice resistance of the townspeople; the defenders are all killed, while the survivors are rounded up in the saloon. High Plains Drifter (1973) on IMDb: Movies, TV, Celebs, and more. Eastwood knew nothing about Leoneand frankly, there wasnt much to know yet. The next morning, as the Stranger rides out of town, he passes Mordecai carving a fresh grave marker. An American Journey: Issues and Themes . (3) The stranger was the ghost of Marshal Duncan. If there's ever an actor that would sell me in watching a western, that man would be Clint Eastwood. Slaughter may be by burning, beheading, or throttling. High Plains Drifter is a 1973 American Western film directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Ernest Tidyman, and produced by Robert Daley for The Malpaso Company and Universal Pictures. [8] The film was completed in six weeks, two days ahead of schedule, and under budget. 2023 METACRITIC, A FANDOM COMPANY. Not the townspeople, not the villains, not even the "anti-hero" at the center. The townspeople are scared of him, and three gunmen try, unsuccessfully, to kill him. Holes in the plot were filled in with black humor and allegory, influenced by Sergio Leone. It adds to the argument that High Plains Drifter is a deconstruction of the myths of the old west. Three hired "town security" gunmen taunt and threaten him; he kills all three with little effort. Nigel Andrews of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that "after Play Misty For Me, High Plains Drifter emerges as a disappointingly sterile exercise in style, suggesting that the first thing Eastwood should do as a director is forget the lessons he has learned from other film-makers and start to forge a convincing style of his own. Slaughter may be by burning, beheading, or throttling. 3,224 IMDb 7.4 1 h 45 min 1973. The three have their sights set on returning to Lago to wreak havoc and take care of some unfinished business. Book: Hughes, Howard. The librettist is Temistocle Solera. Wayne, who it turns out wasnt a fan of the film, wrote an angry letter back, saying that High Plains Drifter isnt what the West was all about and that it isnt the American people who settled this country. The Duke may have thought that he was putting the young Eastwood in his place. By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Returning to Lago, the Stranger inspects the preparationsthe entire town painted red, armed men on rooftops, picnic tables laden with food and drink, and a big "WELCOME HOME BOYS" bannerthen he silently departs again. 978-0786449613 . Book: White, Mike . There are two headstones in the graveyard with the names of. All rights reserved. They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating. Haunting. The film was critically acclaimed at the time of its initial release and remains popular. Part ghost story, part revenge Western, more than a little silly, and often quite entertaining in a way that may make you wonder if you have lost your good sense. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Eastwood proceeded to crank out a bunch of lean, economical WesternsHang Em High, Two Mules for Sister Sara, The Beguiledand was encouraged by his frequent director and most formidable mentor Don Siegel to try his hand behind the camera. Do we, then,find ourselvesunable to know how to act ethically in oursociety a society that glorifies, Den Vergulden Turk, where Mahler and Freud met, Breestraat, Leiden, Netherlands The subject of Mahler and Freud Meet in, Constellations of Desire Constellations of Desire forms the third part of Solitary Ethics, a sequence on ethical and moral, The Meadow Trail, as it leaves the forest for the light, Stanley Park, Vancouver. User Ratings As the Stranger rides off into the desert, a perplexed Mordecai stands beside the tombstone he just finished engraving: "Marshal Jim Duncan, Rest in Peace". Whats most notable is how Eastwood holds fast to the rebel spirit of the spaghetti Westerns and revisionist New Hollywood Westerns of the previous decade, but packages it in a film thats slicker and more mainstream-friendly. He seems to enjoy giving them misery. | High Plains Drifter. Or the ghost of Duncan, hanging in a tortured purgatorial limbo, until he can get a proper burial, a shred of justice, and some overdue payback. 1999 . original, Release Date (Streaming): Here Eastwood takes advantage of what he has learned in the spaghetti western with a plot that is fully attached to the genre. Aim for the Heart . "[26], Siskel, Gene (April 20, 1973). He's nearer now, a bearded man in a dark cowboy hat and long dusty overcoat--the Stranger (. One thing about the story that's bad is that the town people are represented as cowards for the whole movie and they don't exactly improve though the at the end either. Lulu.com . Meanwhile, the best you can say for High Plains Drifter is that the title is a low pun. (Photo: Hendrik, Akira Kurosawa : Ran. Obviously he's not okay with rape and he's sure as hell not trying to glorify it - but the execution seems miscalculated, to say the least. It was one generations Great Western Star reaching his hand out to the previous generations. Clint Eastwood's orchestration of subtle stylization begets subtle color that rarely allows entertainment value to slip too far, and when slow spells do enter, upon being met with a genuine sense of thoughtfulness, rather than the dryness which plagues this drama as much as anything, they bite, with high tension.